With the arrival of Memorial Day weekend here in the US, the summer season has been sparked. The weather is hot (nearly 100 degrees tomorrow!) and the time has come for bathing suits, barbeques, and breaking out the summer songs. Below are some of my 2011 summertime favorites.

I hope these songs help you to get into the summertime spirit! For more of my favorite tunes, check out my YouTube page or the Inspiration page on Positively Present. And if you have some favorite summer songs of your own, please feel free to share them in the comment section below. I'd love to know what you're listening to and feeling inspired by this summer.

What songs are inspiring you this summer? Any songs you'd add to this summertime soundtrack?

Kinda wish I had the courage,A bit of bravery.So tired of waiting on a man to come and save me.Wishing I had everything,Or something really.Hard to admit it,But now I’m thinking freely.I’m going to open my mind to all these,New found exciting possibilities.

I’m making all my own plans,Throwing all my old ones away.Gonna grow up, Be someone.Draw a map, find a path.Take a breath and run.And run.

Filling my head with words to encourage me,Gotta get my act so straight so I can truly believe.That what I’m waiting for, is really worth the wait.Stop bringing myself down,I gotta know what makes me great.I’m going to open my mind to all these,New found exciting possibilities.

I’m making all my own plans,Throwing all my old ones away.Gonna grow up, Be someone.Draw a map, find a path.Take a breath and run.

I am trying to get past this,Be better than I once was.Tired of waiting, on someone else.I am trying to get past this,Be better than I once was.Tired of waiting on someone else,I can fix it by myself.

I’m finally taking a stand,I’ve learned from all my mistakes.I’m making all my own plans,Throwing all my old ones away.Gotta grow up, be someone.Draw a map, find a path.Take a breath and run.

"And Run"He is We

This has become my latest favorite song. Every time I listen to it, I feel inspired. Check it out here on my YouTube channel. "Words To Live By" is a segment on Positively Present that features my favorite quote or lyrics from the week. Every Sunday I post a quote or lyrics that have inspired me with the hope that they'll inspire you too. Comments will be closed on these posts, but feel free to tweet the post if you enjoy it or contact me via Twitter.

One of the best benefits of journaling is its uncanny ability to keep you awake, creatively. Moreover, Journal Writing Therapy can be a powerful tool for dislodging creative "blocks." Creativity is your birthright. Absolutely everyone is creative, whether they know it or not. When you think about the fact that you are constantly making choices, deciding between options, and favoring personal preferences, you can see that you are unique, and that you naturally create that uniqueness.

Certainly it's true that some individuals take more time to develop their natural creativity than others. Some develop their muscles, or work to stretch their intelligence, or spend a lot of time cultivating their sexual allure, or their beauty. Which parts of our selves we decide to emphasize is our personal choice.

But there's special reward in cultivating our inner creativity, because a strong and confident creativity will make your progress faster and smoother in all other areas of concentration, as well. This is because when you access your creative self, you access unlimited possibilities. You are no longer constricted by fear and self-doubt. You can see for endless miles into the wellspring of inspiration.

Many people think creative blocks are simply professional hazards, something that happens to us, over which we have no control. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are never ever empty of ideas. If we feel separated from our creativity, if we feel uninspired and dull, it is because we lack the will to access imagination. We're tired or sick or afraid. For some reason, we're choosing to block ourselves.

If we can manage to re-locate the will to unblock, our personal creativity leaps up happily to meet the effort. When we willfully ignore all objections and wait with an open heart for the inspirational responses to our small efforts, the floodgates easily lift. How do you use journaling to help open those gates? Here are a few ideas.

How to Use Journaling to Unleash Creativity

1. Open your journal to a fresh page and write the date. Now write at the top of the page “I am aware that...” and just write, write, write until you feel it’s right for you to stop.

2. Invite your inner kid over to play in your journal with you. Close your eyes and picture your inner kid. He or she may be your actual child self, or the imaginary friend you used to have. Then open your eyes. In your journal, ask questions of your inner kid. What makes her happiest in the world? What’s his advice on a challenge you’re facing now? What’s the greatest lesson she’s learned in life so far? Take notes on the replies you get. Doodle. Use colorful crayons or markers if you have them. Have FUN!

3. Focus on your dreams. Use a few tricks to help you remember your dreams and keep a journal chronicling these nighttime adventures. Don't forget to go back and re-read your entries every so often.

4. Take the title of a song and use that as an opening for a journal entry. What represents how you feel at the moment? “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” “Wild Thing,” or “Un-Break my Heart”?

5. Make a Fun List. We make lists all the time – to-do lists, grocery shopping lists, packing lists -- but they aren’t always fun or imaginative. Try making a “just for fun” list to get your creativity flowing.

Favorite books, movies, TV shows or songs

Things you want to do before you turn (insert age here)

Inventions you couldn’t live without

Celebrities you would like to interview

Books you want to read

Characteristics or traits that you like about yourself

These prompts are just a few from my book, 27 Days of Journaling to Health and Happiness. I hope you will enjoy and profitably put to use all 27 practices. Once I began to know and trust my own creativity through journaling, ideas and possibilities began to flow unchecked, and I'm still in awe every day at the infinity of inspiration. And my confidence in the bounty of the universe never wavers!